Coal car



L. F. SMITH May 3 1921..

GOAL CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1926 LawPcIuEEAS'miW flttowmpMay 3, 1927. ,256

L. F. SMITH COAL CAR Filed March 1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AAAsnlimanwuloz Patented May 3, 1927.

UNITED STATES LAWRENCE SMITH, OF HAZARD, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OFONE-EIGHTH TO LOYD P. LARKIE, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO AUSTEN FAULKNER,CHRISTOPHER C. DATE, AND ALVIS MERCER, ALL OF HAZARD, KENTUCKY.

COAL can.

Application filed March 1, 1926. Serial No. 91,578.

This invention relates to railway rolling stock, and more particularlyto cars of the hopper bottom type, the primary object of the inventionbeing to provide means for securing the closures of the car in theirclo-sedpositions to insure against the closures being jarred open torelease the coal carried therein. I

Another important object of the invention is to provide means wherebythe bulk of the weight or the material containedin the car will besupported by the bottom of the car relieving the sliding closures of thehoppers of the car of excess weight.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of meanswhereby the doors may be manually moved to their open positions, andmoved to their closed positions by gravity.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within thescope of What is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a car constructed inaccordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Figure 3 is aside elevationalviewof a car embodying my invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2 but showingthe doors in open position.

Figure 5 is a sectional View taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the car embodies the usual framewhich includes side members 5 and end members 6 which support the bodyindicated generally by the reference character 7. i The body portionincludes side members 8, end members 9 and inclined bottom plates 10,which bottom plates are curved downwardly providing hoppers 11 throughwhich the coal or material passes when discharged from the car.

Associated with the hoppers are curved guide bars 12 spaced apart toprovide grooves for the reception of the ends 13 of the sliding closures141, whereby said closures are supported for free sliding movement.

Thus it will be seen that due to this construction and the weights ofthe parts whenthe closures 14 are moved to their open po sltions'toallowmaterial to discharge from the car, the closures will automaticallyreturn, by gravity, to their closed positions.

The operating mechanism includes spaced,

PATENT OFFICE,

horizontally disposed rods 15 which are mounted between the side members5 and to which cross arms 16' are connected, the cross arms having,their ends formed'with openings to receive the rods 17 and 18respectively, the rods 18 being connected with one of theclosures, whilethe rods 17 are connected with the closures associated with the firstmentioned closures.

As clearly shown by the drawings, the rods 17 and 18 will movesimultaneously in opposite directions, moving the closures to either.their open or closed positions.

Suitable operating handles not shown are provided on the outer ends ofthe rods 15 whereby the rods 15 may be rotated, there being providedratchet wheels 19 on the rods 15 and adapted to cooperate with thesliding bolts 20 that are mounted on the body portion to the end thatwhen the bolts 20 are moved into engagement with the ratchet SVl'l6lS,the ratchet wheels will be held against movement and the doors orclosures held in their closed positions. l

Thus it will be seen that it would be impossible for the weight of thematerial contained within the car to force the doors or closures totheir open positions and release the load, and that the only way theclosures may be moved to their open positions is by rotating the rods 15in a manner as described.

It will also be obvious that due to the curved construction of theclosures and hoppers of the bottom the bulk of theload will be supportedby the bottom of the car and the material which is usually supported by.

the hinged closures of a hopper bottom car will be supported by thecurved walls of the hoppers and only small portions of the ma terialwill rest on theclosures 14. v

It might be further stated that it is contemplated to use four of thesedischarge hoppers in the bottom of the usual hopper bottom car, thehoppers being arranged in pairs.

As illustrated by Figure 2, the bars 21 and 22 connect the closures ofadjacent hoppers to which bars the rods 17 and 18 are connected. to theend that one rod will act to operate the closures of adjacent hoppers.

I claim: l. In a car of the clas described, a bottom, a plurality ofhoppers torniing a part of the bottom, said hoppers having curved walls,curved members arranged adjacent to the curved walls and forming grooveswith the curved walls, sliding closures curved to conform to thecurvatures of the hoppers, said sliding-closures having their endspositioned within the grooves, and means lfor moving the closures totheir open positions.

2. In a car otrtihe class descril'ied, a bottom including inclinedbottom plates, said bottom plates having their adjacent edges curveddownwardly and inwardly providing hoppers, the adjacent edges of theplates being spaced to provide outlet openings, and sliding closures;for normally closing the openings.

ing'a bottom formed of inclined plates hava ing their adjacentedgesspaced apart and curved to provide a discharge spout, curved closuresrestingagainst the curved ends of the plates and operating over thecurved ends of the plates for controlling the passage of materialthrough the discharge spout, a horizontal rod disposed adjacent to thespout, an arm secured to the rod, links connected with the ends of thearm and with the closures to move the closures w;

their active or inactive positions, and means for restricting movementof the rod.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto atfiXedmy signature.

LAWRENCE F. SMITH.

